I can't think of a clever title...but it is Musing Monday!

Wow, the start of another week, so it must be time for Musing Monday, from the mind of Rebecca at Just One More Page.

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about bookstores…

How many bookstores do you frequent? Do you have a favourite? If so, which one and what makes it so?

Frequent...hmmmm...that would be none. None?? None she say? But...but...she loves books. How she she not love bookstores? Well, I do not really love my bookstores.
I have two choices locally. One, I have written about before, Borders. True, they have books, so you have to like that. But, as I have said, it seems fewer and fewer every time I am there. Would you like a CD...a greeting card...game...a calender...some stationary...a banana nut muffin with a Caramel Latte...and a copy of a bestseller, then Borders is your place. Look, I understand they have to make a living. I want them to succeed. But it seems that books are getting pushed further and further back, actually physically out to the edges of the store. I fear, sometime it will be a few tables of bestsellers.
I also hate that while they still have some nice leather chairs around the stores, every time I am there, it seems one more disappears and the remaining ones are hidden in some new spot.

My other choice is an outlet of a local chain, Atlantic Books. I would have made a link, but I looked and they have a truly poor web site. A list of locations and that is about it. They have about 15 stores, in South Jersey, Delaware and a couple in Pennsylvania. They sell a lot of remainders it seems, but also a pretty good selection of bestsellers and newish books. Once the remainders were very, very cheap, now, not so much, but still you can sometimes find a great bargain. But...
well, my location in located in a shopping center next to a boxing gym. They share a wall, a big wall. A big wall that actually vibrates with the loud music and thumping bass being played next door. The place is a big open space, too bright, with that constant thumping. I don't mind a little background music, but this is unacceptable and not compatible with my browsing habits.

Because let's face it folks, for many of us, including myself, part of the pleasure of a bookstore is the atmosphere. My ideal bookstore would be fairly small, cozy. Bright enough to read but not glaring bright. Some chairs to sit in a moment and glance at a book. A helpful but not intrusive staff. And since I am dreaming, huge discounts!
Ok, I would actually be willing to sacrifice the huge discounts...or any at all...I think.

This is the BIG question of bookselling. Can you compete with Amazon? On price, no. Amazon can make the big deals with publishers because they have a huge volume and no little independent store will beat them on price. So should they just latch the door? I would argue no, that they can succeed, by offering something different, something people want that Amazon or even the Big Chain Stores can not offer. What that is will differ from local area to local area. I offer the example, in a different segment of retailing, of a local food store. They are a fraction in size of the nearby supermarkets and their price on many grocery items are higher, but they do a fantastic business. How? They have a great deli and do a very big lunch business, with sandwiches and hot dishes. They have a nice meat section...and you can actually talk to the butcher and make a special request. They have a nice section of prepared dishes, all wrapped and ready to go if you are in a big hurry. Fast, convenient.
They found a niche where they can excel and don't compete where they can't, but instead offer what the Big Guys don't.

But what is the difference. Aren't all books a thing of the past, an historical holdover of a past time? Soon we will all be downloading our books on to our white, shiny reading device and books will cease to exist. Right?
Over my cold, dead body..... :-)

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